The NSW Government's announcement school students' return would be accelerated was not welcomed by everyone.
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All school students will now return to on site learning by October 25, with the second and third stages of the return to school plan now combined.
Warilla dad Michael Kaehne said he felt the accelerated return was a "double-edged sword," particularly for his middle child, Jae-Jae.
Jae-Jae has a congenital heart condition and an acquired brain injury from a stroke.
Mr Kaehne said the family was still waiting on advice about getting Jae-Jae vaccinated, and his lowered immune system meant the vaccine will likely offer him less protection.
"It's challenging - if he gets COVID the prospects of him surviving are not good," Mr Kaehne said.
"His mother and I are fully vaccinated, his 16-year-old sister has had her first dose, but what if she brings it home from school?
"What if his younger brother in kindy brings it home from school?
"On the flip side he can't just sit at home forever. We have to get back to some sort of normality."
The accelerated return also calls into question whether schools will have enough time to make sure they are COVID-safe.
Senior Vice-President of the NSW Teacher's Federation, Amber Flohm, said she did not see how the necessary work could be done before October 25.
Of particular concern was how well-ventilated classrooms are, given many students are too young to be vaccinated.
"We called on the government three months ago to commence an audit of all our teaching and learning spaces and they left it to last weeks of term three," she said.
"So we don't know the final outcome of that ventilation audit, but perhaps more importantly
"Ventilation is a critical part of safety for teachers, students and the broader community.
"We don't expect the necessary work will be done before students return."
Ms Flohm said the reason a staggered return was important was because it gave schools the opportunity to identify problems when smaller groups of students were affected.
With students returning all together, any teething problems would impact a much greater number of children and families.
"Children under 12 don't have access to the vaccine, so it's even more important these other measures are taken," she said.
"The health advice has always been for a staggered return, and we have not seen any advice from health that there is not longer a need for that. It is a concern."
In addition, teachers who had been working towards a November deadline for double-vaccination are unlikely to be able to meet the new deadline.
NSW Department of Education were asked about school ventilation in the Illawarra.
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